Vision

The Intercultural Ministry is grounded in the Christian tradition to welcome the stranger and seeks to provide accompaniment to our immigrant brothers and sisters.

Mission

The Intercultural Ministry seeks to engage the Catholic community of Ascension and St. Edmund parish to welcome, protect, promote and integrate (CLICK HERE) our immigrant, asylum seekers & refugee brothers and sisters, building the Kingdom of God in fraternity and universality creating opportunities to work together towards communion and fostering ecclesial integration rather than assimilation with a spirituality of hospitality, reconciliation, and mission.

Goals

1. Acknowledging and overcoming fear: Helping local communities to properly understand the phenomenon of migration and ensure a conducive environment for mutual encounter.
2. Promoting encounter: Building bridges between local communities and newcomers, promoting a true ‘culture of encounter.’
3. Listening and being compassionate: Considering every occasion to encounter migrants and refugees in need as a unique opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ himself (cf. Mt 25:32) and practice the commandment of love, the Catholic Church is called to be eager to listen to them and grow in compassion.
4. Living our catholicity: Understanding the multiplicity of its members as a richness to be appreciated, as an opportunity to be more and more visibly “catholic” and also as a gift to be celebrated with vibrant liturgies respectful of different cultural traditions.
5. Understanding migrants as a blessing: Understanding and valuing the opportunities that migrants offer as a way to bring new life to local communities and parishes.
6. Fulfilling the evangelizing mission: Seeing the presence of many migrants and refugees of other faiths or no faith as a providential opportunity to fulfill the Church’s evangelizing mission through witness and charity.
7. Cooperating towards communion: Promoting effective cooperation among other Catholic entities, and between them and all other entities. Also, promoting joint actions and cooperation among different faith-based and civil society organizations, government in order to pursue together the wider we.

*adapted from Pastoral Orientations On Intercultural Immigrant Ministry
> Pastoral Orientations